


Tedious

by Rose_of_Pollux



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 08:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18069941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: In which Illya gets a reminder that the life of an agent isn’t all glamor.





	Tedious

There were times when Illya wondered whether being the antisocial one was really beneficial to him. Sure, it helped him avoid talking to people when he didn’t want to—but it also meant ending up with unpleasant tasks, such as this time, when he was undercover at a construction site, unobtrusively digging what seemed like a ditch—when he was, in fact, searching for a cache of THRUSH weapons that had been hidden underground. But after a morning of digging, all Illya had accomplished was disturbing innumerable subterranean creatures, including a very agitated star-nosed mole, which sniffed at him with its odd, pink nose, turned tail, and scurried away, kicking dirt at Illya’s face in such a manner that he wasn’t convinced that it was entirely coincidental.

At last, though, the edge of his shovel hit metal, and after clearing a sizeable patch of dirt, Illya, still covered in dirt and sweat, saw the THRUSH logo painted on what was clearly a metal holding box.

“You found it?”

Illya nearly jumped; he had been so absorbed in his task, he had failed to notice that Napoleon, undercover as a safety inspector, had been watching him for some time.

“Yes, I have,” Illya said. “With any luck, I can be out of here within the hour, assuming I can slip past the foreman.”

“And that mole; I think he might be out for revenge.”

“…You saw that?”

“Yes, and I deeply regret not bringing the camera.”

Illya gave him a dark look.

“Well, I’m glad I’m amusing you,” he said. “Next time, you do the dirty work.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to. I’m sure the natural mud and soil will do wonders for the complexion.”

“…Why am I not surprised…?”

“Well, that means you, too, will have an improved complexion, once you finish up here,” Napoleon said.

“I’m overwhelmed.”

Napoleon gave him a sympathetic look.

“I’ll be out of here in a few minutes; I’ll draw you a hot bath for when you come back to the hotel.”

Illya let out a quiet sigh; he was skeptical about the existence of Heaven, but if anything sounded heavenly at this moment, that certainly did.

“I shall be looking forward to that,” Illya said.

After a few more words of encouragement, Napoleon continued with his “inspection” of the site, and Illya continued with his digging, now seeing a light at the end of this otherwise tedious tunnel.

It wasn’t always a glamorous job, but with a concerned partner like Napoleon, it wasn’t all bad, either.


End file.
